Ultrasonic device unit, ultrasonic probe, and ultrasonic apparatus

ABSTRACT

An ultrasonic device unit includes an ultrasonic device having a device-side terminal, a reinforcing plate having a support surface adapted to support the ultrasonic device, and a flexible printed wiring board to be connected to the ultrasonic device, the flexible printed wiring board includes a connection to be connected to the device-side terminal, a bend continuous with the connection, and extending away from the ultrasonic device, and an outer edge disposed in an end in the extending direction of the bend, and the reinforcing plate is provided with a first side parallel to a first direction crossing the extending direction, and opposed to the bend, and a projection on a reverse surface opposite the support surface, and with which the outer edge has contact when the flexible printed wiring board is curved along the first side in the bend.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic device unit, anultrasonic probe, and an ultrasonic apparatus.

2. Related Art

In the past, there has been known an ultrasonic device unit having anultrasonic element array in which ultrasonic elements for performingtransmission and reception of ultrasonic waves are arranged (see, e.g.,JP-A-2016-92592 (Document 1)).

The ultrasonic device unit of Document 1 is provided with the ultrasonicdevice having terminals corresponding respectively to the ultrasonicelements, and the ultrasonic device is connected to a device terminalvia a flexible printed wiring board (a flexible board).

The flexible board is provided with a first flat-plate part disposed onone end side with respect to the center line, and the ultrasonic deviceis fixed to the first flat-plate part. Further, the flexible board isprovided with a second flat-plate part disposed on the other end sidewith respect to the center line, and connecters to which the terminalsof the ultrasonic device are connected are disposed in the secondflat-plate part.

Incidentally, in such an ultrasonic device unit as described in Document1 above, in order to house an ultrasonic device to which a flexibleboard is connected in a housing, the flexible board is folded into thehousing (curved) so as to overlap the ultrasonic device. On thisoccasion, if the bending position of the flexible board is different,there is a problem that the flexible board becomes larger than the sizeof the ultrasonic device.

SUMMARY

An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide anultrasonic device unit, an ultrasonic probe, and an ultrasonic apparatuswhich can be miniaturized with a simple configuration.

An ultrasonic device unit of an application example according to theinvention includes an ultrasonic device having a device-side terminal, areinforcing plate having a support surface adapted to support theultrasonic device, and a flexible printed wiring board to be connectedto the ultrasonic device, the flexible printed wiring board is providedwith a connection part to be connected to the device-side terminal, abending part continuous with the connection part, and extending in adirection of getting away from the ultrasonic device, and an outer edgepart disposed in and end part in the extending direction of the bendingpart, and the reinforcing plate is provided with a first side parallelto a first direction crossing the extending direction, and opposed tothe bending part, and a projecting part which is disposed on a reversesurface on an opposite side to the support surface, and with which theouter edge part has contact when the flexible printed wiring board iscurved to be bent along the first side in the bending part.

In this application example, the connection part of the flexible printedwiring board is connected to the device-side terminal of the ultrasonicdevice, and the bending part continuous with the connection part iscurved. On this occasion, the outer edge part of the flexible printedwiring board is made to have contact with the projecting part on thereverse surface of the reinforcing plate. Thus, the flexible printedwiring board is curved so that the outer edge part is appropriatelylocated.

In other words, in the case in which the projecting part is notprovided, it becomes difficult to curve the flexible printed wiringboard along the first side in the bending part so as not to beak theinterconnections. For example, if the bending part is folded on thefirst side with an angle with strong force, there is a possibility thatbreaking occurs in the interconnection connected to the device-sideterminal. Further, if the bending part is folded with a curve in orderto prevent breaking of the interconnection, the bending part is foldedwith a tilt to the first side in some cases. In this case, the size ofthe ultrasonic device unit when bending the flexible printed wiringboard increases in such a manner that a part of the outer edge part ofthe flexible printed wiring board projects outside the outer edge of thereinforcing plate.

In contrast, in this application example, since the outer edge part hascontact with, and is thus positioned by, the projecting part, thebending part can be curved along the first side. Therefore, breaking ofthe interconnection can be prevented. Further, the flexible printedwiring board is positioned by the projecting part, and is thus curved atan appropriate position. Therefore, there is no chance that a part ofthe flexible printed wiring board projects outside the outer edge of thereinforcing plate, and the miniaturization of the ultrasonic device unitcan also be achieved.

In the ultrasonic device unit according to the application example, itis preferable that a plurality of the projecting parts is provided, andthe outer edge part has contact with the plurality of the projectingparts when the flexible printed wiring board is curved to be bent alongthe first side in the bending part.

In the application example with this configuration, when bending theflexible printed wiring board along the first side, the outer edge partis positioned by a plurality of projecting parts. Therefore, it ispossible to more appropriately bend the flexible printed wiring boardwithout tilting the flexible printed wiring board with respect to thefirst side.

In the ultrasonic device unit according to the application example, itis preferable that the reinforcing plate has a rectangular shape havinga third side parallel to the first direction, and a second side and afourth side both crossing the first side and the third side, thedevice-side terminal is located each of a first position having a firstdistance from the first side and a second position having a seconddistance from the third side in a case of making the support surfacesupport the ultrasonic device, the flexible printed wiring boardincludes a first connection part to be connected to the device-sideterminal located at the first position, and a second connection partlocated at the second position as the connection part, a first bendingpart continuous with the first connection part and extending in a firstextending direction of getting away from the ultrasonic device, and asecond bending part continuous with the second connection part andextending in a second extending direction of getting away from theultrasonic device as the bending part, and a first outer edge partdisposed in the first extending direction from the first connection parttoward the first bending part, and a second outer edge part disposed inthe second extending direction from the second connection part towardthe second bending part as the outer edge part, and the reinforcingplate is provided with a first projecting part with which the firstouter edge part has contact when the flexible printed wiring board iscurved to be bent along the first side in the first bending part, and asecond projecting part with which the second outer edge part has contactwhen the flexible printed wiring board is curved to be bent along thethird side in the second bending part as the projecting part.

In the application example with this configuration, the flexible printedwiring board is bent along the first side and the third side opposed toeach other of the reinforcing plate having a rectangular shape. On thisoccasion, since there is provided the second projecting part with whichthe second outer edge part has contact when bending the flexible printedwiring board along the third side, it is possible to bend the flexibleprinted wiring board along the third side without a tilt similarly tothe application example described above.

In the ultrasonic device unit according to the application example, itis preferable that the flexible printed wiring board has a slit havingan opening edge including a first end edge as an end edge extendingalong the first extending direction of the first connection part and thefirst bending part, a second end edge as an end edge extending along thesecond extending direction of the second connection part and the secondbending part, and an opposed edge opposed to the first end edge and thesecond end edge, a width dimension from the first end edge to theopposed edge of the slit is larger than a width dimension in the firstdirection of the second projecting part, and a width dimension from thesecond end edge to the opposed edge of the slit is larger than a widthdimension in the first direction of the first projecting part.

As described above, in the case of bending the flexible printed wiringboard along the first side and the third side opposed to each other ofthe reinforcing plate, the flexible printed wiring board bent from thefirst side covers the second projecting part, and the flexible printedwiring board bent from the third side overlaps the first projectingpart. In contrast, in the application example with the configurationdescribed above, there is provided the slit in which the distance fromthe first end edge to the opposed edge is larger than the widthdimension in the first direction of the second projecting part, and thedistance from the second end edge to the opposed edge is larger than thewidth dimension in the first direction of the first projecting part.Therefore, it is possible to prevent the disadvantage that when bendingthe flexible printed wiring board along the first side and the thirdside, the first projecting part and the second projecting part areinserted into the slit, and the flexible printed wiring board covers thefirst projecting part and the second projecting part.

In the ultrasonic device unit according to the application example, itis preferable that in the opening edge of the slit, an opening end inthe first extending direction and an opening end in the second extendingdirection are located between the first projecting part and the secondprojecting part when the flexible printed wiring board is curved to bebent along the first side in the first bending part.

In the application example with this configuration, when bending theflexible printed wiring board along the first side and the third side,the opening end of the slit moves beyond the first projecting part andthe second projecting part, and is located between the first projectingpart and the second projecting part. In other words, the firstprojecting part and the second projecting part are inserted through theslit after all. Therefore, the disadvantage that the flexible printedwiring board covers the first projecting part and the second projectingpart can more surely be prevented.

An ultrasonic probe according to another application example accordingto the invention preferably includes the ultrasonic device unitaccording to any one of the application examples described above, and ahousing adapted to store the ultrasonic device unit.

In the ultrasonic probe according to this application example, such anultrasonic device unit as described above is housed in the housing, andby making the ultrasonic probe have contact with the test object, theultrasonic measurement on the test object can be performed. Further, asdescribed above, in the ultrasonic device unit, the flexible printedwiring board can be bent along the first side of the ultrasonic devicewhile preventing the breaking of the interconnections, and thereforeeasily deformed into a shape suitable for space-saving. Therefore, it ispossible to appropriately arrange the ultrasonic device unit within thelimited space of the ultrasonic probe, and further, the miniaturizationof the ultrasonic probe can also be achieved.

An ultrasonic apparatus according to another application exampleaccording to the invention includes the ultrasonic device unit accordingto any one of the application examples described above, and a controlsection adapted to control the ultrasonic device unit.

In this application example, by controlling such an ultrasonic deviceunit as described above, it is possible to perform a variety of types ofultrasonic processing (e.g., ultrasonic measurement on the test object,and ultrasonic therapy on the test object) in accordance with themeasurement result of the ultrasonic measurement. Further, since theultrasonic device unit can be miniaturized as describe above, theminiaturization of the ultrasonic apparatus can also be achieved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of anultrasonic measurement apparatus according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an ultrasonicprobe according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic probe cut along theline A-A shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic probe cut along theline B-B shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonicsubstrate of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic substrate cut alongthe line C-C shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a wiringboard of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a surface ofa flexible board of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a wiring structure of the flexible board ofthe embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a voltage value of a drive voltage to beapplied to each of transmission/reception columns of an ultrasonicdevice.

FIG. 11 is a plan view, a front view, and a side view of a firstreinforcing plate of the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a plan view, a front view, and a side view of a secondreinforcing plate of the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the case in which the flexible board iscurved along an X direction in the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the flexible board viewed from areverse surface side in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a side view of an ultrasonic device unit according to theembodiment viewed from a first inflective part side.

FIG. 16 is a side view of the ultrasonic device unit according to theembodiment viewed from a second inflective part side.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of a positioning block of a firstreinforcing plate related to a modified example cut along the Y-Z planeat a position at which projection parts are disposed.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of a positioning block of a firstreinforcing plate related to another modified example cut along the Y-Zplane at a position at which projection parts are disposed.

DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

An embodiment according to the invention will hereinafter be described.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of theultrasonic measurement apparatus 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic measurement apparatus 1 correspondsto an ultrasonic apparatus, and is provided with an ultrasonic probe 2,and a control device 10 electrically connected to the ultrasonic probe 2via a cable 3.

The ultrasonic measurement apparatus 1 transmits an ultrasonic wave fromthe ultrasonic probe 2 to the inside of a living body (e.g., a humanbody) in the state in which the ultrasonic probe 2 has contact with asurface of the living body. Further, the ultrasonic measurementapparatus 1 receives the ultrasonic wave reflected by an organ in theliving body using the ultrasonic probe 2, and then, for example, obtainsan internal tomographic image of the inside of the living body tomeasure the state (e.g., blood flow) of the organ in the living bodybased on the received signal.

1. Configuration of Control Device

As shown in FIG. 1, for example, the control device 10 corresponds to acontrol section, and is provided with an operating section 11 includingbuttons or a touch panel, and a display section 12. Further, althoughnot shown in the drawings, the control device 10 is provided with astorage section formed of a memory and so on, and an arithmetic sectionconstituted by a central processing unit (CPU) and so on. The controldevice 10 makes the arithmetic section execute a variety of programsstored in the storage section to thereby control the ultrasonicmeasurement apparatus 1. For example, the control device 10 outputs acommand for controlling the drive of the ultrasonic probe 2, forms animage of the internal structure of the living body and then makes thedisplay section 12 display the image, and measures the living bodyinformation such as the blood flow to make the display section 12display the living body information based on the received signal inputfrom the ultrasonic probe 2. As such a control device 10, there can beused a terminal device such as a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or apersonal computer, and a dedicated terminal device for operating theultrasonic probe 2 can also be used.

2. Configuration of Ultrasonic Probe

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the ultrasonicprobe 2. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic probe 2 cutalong the line A-A (a plane S_(A)) shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is across-sectional view of the ultrasonic probe 2 cut along the line B-B (aplane S_(B)) shown in FIG. 2.

The ultrasonic probe 2 corresponds to an ultrasonic probe, and isprovided with a housing 21, and an ultrasonic device unit 4 storedinside the housing 21 as shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 4. Further, theultrasonic device unit 4 is configured including an ultrasonic device 5,a flexible printed wiring board (a flexible board 6), a firstreinforcing plate 71, and a second reinforcing plate 72.

Hereinafter, each of the constituents will be described in detail.

2-1. Configuration of Ultrasonic Device 5

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the ultrasonic device constituting theultrasonic device unit 4 includes an ultrasonic substrate 51, a sealingplate 52, a wiring board 53, and an acoustic lens 54, and is formed bystacking the wiring board 53, the sealing plate 52, the ultrasonicsubstrate 51, and the acoustic lens 54 in this order. In the presentembodiment, the ultrasonic device 5 is formed to have, for example, arectangular shape in a planar view viewed from the stacking direction (aZ direction) of the wiring board 53, the sealing plate 52, theultrasonic substrate 51, and the acoustic lens 54.

2-1-1. Configuration of Ultrasonic Substrate 51

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of theultrasonic substrate 51 of the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 5, the ultrasonic substrate 51 is provided with aplurality of ultrasonic transducers Tr arranged in a two-dimensionalarray along the X direction (a second direction, a scanning direction)and the Y direction (a first direction, a slicing direction). In thepresent embodiment, 1-CH (channel) transmission/reception column Ch(vibrator element) is constituted by a plurality of ultrasonictransducers Tr (ultrasonic elements) arranged in the Y direction.Further, a plurality of the 1-CH transmission/reception columns Charranged side by side along the X direction constitutes the ultrasonicsubstrate 51 having a two-dimensional array structure. Here, in theultrasonic substrate 51, an area where the ultrasonic transducers Tr arearranged is defined as an array area Ar1.

It should be noted that in FIG. 5, the number of the ultrasonictransducers Tr arranged is reduced for the sake of convenience ofexplanation, but in reality, there are arranged a larger number ofultrasonic transducers Tr.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic substrate51 cut along the line C-C shown in FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 6, the ultrasonic substrate 51 is configured includingan element substrate 511, a support film 512 disposed on the elementsubstrate 511, and piezoelectric elements 513 disposed on the supportfilm 512.

The element substrate 511 is formed of a semiconductor substrate madeof, for example, Si. The element substrate 511 is provided withsubstrate opening parts 511A corresponding to the respective ultrasonictransducers Tr. In the present embodiment, each of the substrate openingparts 511A is a through hole penetrating the element substrate 511 inthe thickness direction thereof, and the support film 512 is disposed onone end side (the sealing plate 52 side) of the through hole.

Further, the side of the substrate opening part 511A where the supportfilm 512 is not provided is filled with an acoustic layer 515 havingacoustic impedance approximate to that of the living body.

Further, on a surface of the element substrate 511 located on theopposite side to the support film 512, there is disposed the acousticlens 54 having contact with the element substrate 511 and the acousticlayer 515. The acoustic lens 54 is a part which is exposed from thesensor window 211B (see FIG. 1 and so on) provided to the housing 21when the ultrasonic device unit 4 is stored in the housing 21, and formsa part to have contact with the test object when performing theultrasonic measurement. Similarly to the acoustic layer 515, theacoustic lens 54 is formed of, for example, silicone having acousticimpedance approximate to that of the living body, and is formed to havea cylindrical shape with an axis parallel to the X direction.

The support film 512 is formed of, for example, a stacked body of SiO₂and ZrO₂, and is disposed so as to cover the entire area on the sealingplate 52 side of the element substrate 511. Specifically, the supportfilm 512 is supported by partition walls 511B constituting the substrateopening parts 511A, and closes the sealing plate 52 side of thesubstrate opening parts 511A. The thickness dimension of the supportfilm 512 is made sufficiently small with respect to that of the elementsubstrate 511.

It should be noted that in the present embodiment, the support film 512is formed by performing a thermal oxidation treatment on one surface ofthe element substrate 511 formed of Si to form SiO₂, and then stackingZrO₂ thereon. On this occasion, by performing etching on the elementsubstrate 511 using the support film 512 including SiO₂ as an etchingstopper, it becomes possible to easily form the substrate opening parts511A and the partition walls 511B.

The piezoelectric elements 513 are disposed on respective parts of thesupport film 512 closing the respective substrate opening parts 511A.The piezoelectric elements 513 are each formed of, for example, astacked body obtained by stacking a lower-part electrode 513A, apiezoelectric film 513B, and an upper-part electrode 513C from thesupport film 512 side.

Here, the part of the support film 512 closing the substrate openingpart 511A constitutes a vibrating part 512A, and the vibrating part 512Aand the piezoelectric element 513 constitute one ultrasonic transducerTr.

In such an ultrasonic transducer Tr, by applying a rectangular-wavevoltage (a drive voltage) having a predetermined frequency between thelower-part electrode 513A and the upper-part electrode 513C, thepiezoelectric film 513B is deflected to vibrate the vibrating part 512Ato transmit the ultrasonic wave. Further, when the vibrating part 512Ais vibrated by the ultrasonic wave (a reflected wave) reflected by theliving body, an electrical potential difference occurs between an upperpart and a lower part of the piezoelectric film 513B. Thus, by detectingthe electrical potential difference occurring between the lower-partelectrode 513A and the upper-part electrode 513C, it becomes possible todetect the ultrasonic wave received.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, the lower-part electrode513A is formed along the Y direction to have a linear shape, andconnects the plurality of ultrasonic transducers Tr constituting the1-CH transmission/reception column Ch to each other. Drive terminals513D therefor are electrically connected to the wiring board 53 via, forexample, through electrodes provided to the sealing plate 52.

Further, the upper-part electrode 513C is formed along the X directionto form a linear shape, and connects the ultrasonic transducers Trarranged in the X direction. Further, the end parts on the ±X sides ofthe upper-part electrode 513C are respectively connected to commonelectrode lines 514. The common electrode lines 514 each connect theupper-part electrodes 513C arranged along the Y direction to each other,and are each provided with common terminals 514A at the end partsthereof, wherein the common terminals 514A are electrically connected tothe wiring board 53. The common terminals 514A are electricallyconnected to the wiring board 53 with, for example, through electrodesprovided to the sealing plate 52.

2-1-2. Configuration of Sealing Plate 52

The sealing plate 52 is formed so that the planar shape of the sealingplate 52 viewed from the thickness direction has the same shape as thatof, for example, the ultrasonic substrate 51. Further, the sealing plate52 is bonded with a fixation member such as resin on the support film512 side of the ultrasonic substrate 51, and at the positionsoverlapping the partition walls 511B viewed from the substrate thicknessdirection, to reinforce the ultrasonic substrate 51.

The sealing plate 52 is provided with openings not shown at positionsopposed to the drive terminals 513D and the common terminals 514A of theelement substrate 511, and through electrodes 521 (see FIG. 7), forexample, for connecting the drive terminals 513D and the commonterminals 514A to the wiring board 53 are inserted through the openings.

2-1-3. Configuration of Wiring Board 53

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the wiringboard 53.

As shown in FIG. 7, the wiring board 53 is provided with device-sideterminals (first device-side terminals 531 and second device-sideterminals 532) at positions opposed to the drive terminals 513D and thecommon terminals 514A. These device-side terminals are connected to thedrive terminals 513D and the common terminals 514A via the throughelectrodes 521 provided to the sealing plate 52, respectively.

In the present embodiment, the drive terminals 513D and the commonterminals 514A are disposed in the both end parts (Ar2) of the flexibleboard 6 in the Y direction as shown in FIG. 5. Therefore, also in thewiring board 53, the device-side terminals corresponding to the driveterminals 513D and the common terminals 514A are disposed in the bothend parts in the Y direction. Here, the device-side terminals disposedon the −Y side are referred to as first device-side terminals 531, andthe device-side terminals disposed on the +Y side as the other end sidein the Y direction are referred to as second device-side terminals 532.

Further, in the present embodiment, the number of each of the firstdevice-side terminals 531 and the second device-side terminals 532provided to the wiring substrate 53 is n (n is an integer equal to orgreater than 2). Here, the first device-side terminal disposed at the −Xside end part is defined as a 1-st first device-side terminal 531, thesecond device-side terminal disposed at the −X side end part is definedas a 1-st second device-side terminal 532, the first device-sideterminal disposed at the +X side end part is defined as an n-th firstdevice-side terminal 531, and the second device-side terminal disposedat the +X side end part is defined as an n-th second device-sideterminal 532. The first device-side terminal 531 and the seconddevice-side terminal 532 disposed at “i”-th position from the −X sideend part are defined as an i-th first device-side terminal 531 and ani-th second device-side terminal 532, respectively.

To each of the first device-side terminals 531 and the seconddevice-side terminals 532, there is connected the flexible board 6.

2-2. Configuration of Flexible Printed Wiring Board (Flexible Board 6)

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a surface ofthe flexible board 6 of the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagramshowing a wiring structure of the flexible board.

As shown in FIG. 8, the flexible board 6 is formed to have, for example,a rectangular planar shape. Here, in the above description, the outeredge (a side extending along the X direction) on the −Y side of theflexible board 6 is defined as a first outer edge part 6A, and the outeredge (a side extending along the X direction) on the +Y side is referredto as a second outer edge part 6B.

The flexible board 6 is divided into five regions along the X direction.Specifically, the flexible board 6 is provided with a device connectionsection 61 disposed in the central part in the X direction, a firstconnector section 62 located on the −X side of the device connectionsection 61, and a second connector section 63 located on the +X side ofthe device connection section 61. Further, the device connection section61 and the first connector section 62 are linked (connected) to eachother via a first inflective part 64, and the device connection section61 and the second connector section 63 are linked (connected) to eachother via a second inflective part 65.

2-2-1. Description of Device Connection Section 61

The device connection section 61 is a part to which the ultrasonicdevice 5 is connected, and has an opening part 611 having a roughlyrectangular shape corresponding to the acoustic lens 54. Further, thedevice connection section 61 is configured including a first wiring part612 disposed on the −Y side of the opening part 611, and a second wiringpart 613 disposed on the +Y side of the opening part 611.

The first wiring part 612 is a part in which interconnections to beconnected to the first device-side terminals 531 are disposed, and isprovided with a first connection part 614, a first bending part 615, anda first device stacking part 616.

The first connection part 614 has connection terminals disposed in aconnection side 614A along the X direction facing the opening part 611,and connected to the respective first device-side terminals 531 alongthe connection side 614A.

The first bending part 615 is a part continuously extending from thefirst connection part 614 toward the −Y side (in a first extendingdirection). Although the details will be described later, the firstbending part 615 is curved to form an arc-like shape when bending theflexible board 6, and is opposed to a cross-sectional surface (anopposed end surface 715) including a first side 71A (see FIG. 11) of thefirst reinforcing plate 71.

Further, a first negative-side end edge 612A (a first end edge) on the−X side of the first connection part 614 and the first bending part 615constitutes a part of an opening edge of a first slit 641 provided tothe first inflective part 64 described later. Further, a firstpositive-side end edge 612B (a second end edge) on the +X side of thefirst connection part 614 and the first bending part 615 constitutes apart of an opening edge of a second slit 651 provided to the secondinflective part 65 described later.

The first device stacking part 616 is a part which overlaps the firstreinforcing plate 71 when connecting the flexible board 6 to theultrasonic device 5 supported by the first reinforcing plate 71, andbending the flexible board 6 around the first bending part 615 along thefirst reinforcing plate 71.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the interconnections(first interconnections 661) connected to the 1-st through k-th firstdevice-side terminals 531 out of the first device-side terminals 531 aredisposed in the first device stacking part 616 so as to extend towardthe first connector section 62. Meanwhile, the interconnections (thirdinterconnections 663) connected to the (k+1)-th through n-th firstdevice-side terminals 531 out of the first device-side terminals 531 aredisposed in the first device stacking part 616 so as to extend towardthe second connector section 63.

Further, the end edge on the −Y side of the first device stacking part616 forms the first outer edge part 6A. In other words, the first outeredge part 6A is located at an end part in the extending direction (thefirst extending direction) of the first bending part 615 from the firstconnection part.

The second wiring part 613 is a part in which interconnections to beconnected to the second device-side terminals 532 are disposed, and hassubstantially the same configuration as that of the first wiring part612. Specifically, the second wiring part 613 is configured linesymmetrically with the first wiring part 612 about a Y-central axis lineL_(Y) passing through the central point in the Y direction of theopening part 611 and parallel to the X direction.

Specifically, the second wiring part 613 is provided with a secondconnection part 617, a second bending part 618, and a second devicestacking part 619.

The second connection part 617 has connection terminals disposed along aconnection side 617A along the X direction facing the opening part 611,and connected to the respective second device-side terminals 532 alongthe connection side 617A.

The second bending part 618 is a part extending from the secondconnection part 617 toward the +Y side (in a second extendingdirection), and is opposed to an end surface (the opposed end surface715) including third side 71C of the first reinforcing plate 71described later when bending the flexible board 6.

A second negative-side end edge 613A (the first end edge) on the −X sideof the second connection part 617 and the second bending part 618constitutes a part of an opening edge of the first slit 641 provided tothe first inflective part 64 described later. Further, a secondpositive-side end edge 613B (the second end edge) on the +X side of thesecond connection part 617 and the second bending part 618 constitutes apart of the opening edge of the second slit 651 provided to the secondinflective part 65 described later.

The second device stacking part 619 is a part which overlaps the firstreinforcing plate 71 together with the first device stacking part 616when connecting the flexible board 6 to the ultrasonic device 5 fixed tothe first reinforcing plate 71, and bending the second bending part 618of the flexible board 6 along the first reinforcing plate 71.

Among the interconnections disposed in the second device stacking part619, the interconnections (second interconnections 662) to be connectedto the 1-st through k-th second device-side terminals 532 are disposedso as to extend toward the first connector section 62. Further, theinterconnections (fourth interconnections 664) to be connected to the(k+1)-th through n-th second device-side terminals 532 are disposed soas to extend toward the second connector section 63.

Further, the end edge on the +Y side of the second device stacking part619 forms the second outer edge part 6B. In other words, the secondouter edge part 6B is located at an end part in the extending direction(the second extending direction) of the second bending part 618 from thesecond connection part 617.

2-2-2. Description of First Connector Section 62 and Second ConnectionSection 63

The first connector section 62 and the second connector section 63 aredisposed on the ±X sides of the device connection section 61,respectively, and has a width dimension smaller than the width dimensionin the X direction of the device connection section 61.

The first connector section 62 is provided with a plurality ofconnectors 621 each provided with a plurality of external connectionterminals 622 (see FIG. 9), and the second connector section 63 isprovided with a plurality of connectors 631 each provided with aplurality of external connection terminals 632 (see FIG. 9). As shown inFIG. 8 and FIG. 9, in the present embodiment, the first connectorsection 62 is provided with the three connectors 621, and the secondconnector section 63 is provided with the three connectors 631. Further,each of the connectors 621 is provided with the external connectionterminals 622 to be connected to either of the interconnections 661,662, and each of the connectors 631 is provided with the externalconnection terminals 632 to be connected to either of theinterconnections 663, 664.

It should be noted that although in the present embodiment, there isshown an example in which the three connectors 621, 631 are provided,this is not a limitation, and it is also possible to provide one or twoconnectors 621, 631, or it is also possible to provide four or moreconnectors 621, 631.

Here, among the three connectors 621 provided to the first connectorsection 62, in the connector 621A located on the +X side, there aredisposed the 1-st external connection terminal 622 through the k₁-th(k₁<k) external connection terminal 622. Further, in the connector 621A,the 1-st external connection terminal 622 is disposed at the +X side endpart, and the k₁-th external connection terminal 622 is disposed at the−X side end part.

Among the three connectors 621 provided to the first connector section62, in the connector 621B located in the central part in the Xdirection, there are disposed the (k₁+1)-th external connection terminal622 through the k₂-th (k₁<k₂<k) external connection terminal 622.Further, in the connector 621B, the (k₁+1)-th external connectionterminal 622 is disposed at the +X side end part, and the k₂-th externalconnection terminal 622 is disposed at the −X side end part.

Among the three connectors 621 provided to the first connector section62, in the connector 621C located on the −X side, there are disposed the(k₂+1)-th external connection terminal 622 through the k-th externalconnection terminal 622. Further, in the connector 621C, the (k₂+1)-thexternal connection terminal 622 is disposed at the +X side end part,and the k-th external connection terminal 622 is disposed at the −X sideend part.

Therefore, in the first connector section 62, the “i (1≤i≤k)”-thexternal connection terminal 622 from the +X side corresponds to thei-th external connection terminal.

Further, to the i-th external connection terminal 622, there areconnected the first interconnection 661 connected to the i-th firstdevice-side terminal 531, and the second interconnection 662 connectedto the i-th second device-side terminal 532.

Here, the first interconnection 661 and the second interconnection 662disposed in the first connector section 62 are made roughlyline-symmetric about the Y-central axis line L_(Y) similarly to thedevice connection section 61. In other words, the wiring length from thefirst device-side terminal 531 to the external connection terminal 622in the first interconnection 661 and the wiring length from the seconddevice-side terminal 532 to the external connection terminal 622 in thesecond interconnection 662 are roughly equal to each other.

On the other hand, among the three connectors 631 provided to the secondconnector section 63, in the connector 631A located on the +X side,there are disposed the (k+1)-th external connection terminal 632 throughthe k₃-th (k+1≤k₃<n) external connection terminal 632. Further, in theconnector 631A, the (k+1)-th external connection terminal 632 isdisposed at the +X side end part, and the k₃-th external connectionterminal 632 is disposed at the −X side end part.

Among the three connectors 631 provided to the second connector section63, in the connector 631B located in the central part in the Xdirection, there are disposed the (k₃+1)-th external connection terminal632 through the k₄-th (k₃<k₄<n) external connection terminal 632.Further, in the connector 631B, the (k₃+1)-th external connectionterminal 632 is disposed at the +X side end part, and the k₄-th externalconnection terminal 632 is disposed at the −X side end part.

Among the three connectors 631 provided to the second connector section63, in the connector 631C located on the −X side, there are disposed the(k₄+1)-th external connection terminal 632 through the n-th externalconnection terminal 632. Further, in the connector 631C, the (k₄+1)-thexternal connection terminal 632 is disposed at the +X side end part,and the n-th external connection terminal 632 is disposed at the −X sideend part.

Therefore, in the second connector section 63, the “i (k+1≤i≤n)”-thexternal connection terminal 632 from the +X side corresponds to thei-th external connection terminal 632.

Further, to the i-th external connection terminal 632, there areconnected the third interconnection 663 connected to the i-th firstdevice-side terminal 531, and the fourth interconnection 664 connectedto the i-th second device-side terminal 532.

Here, the third interconnection 663 and the fourth interconnection 664disposed in the second connector section 63 are made roughlyline-symmetric about the Y-central axis line L_(Y) similarly to thedevice connection section 61. In other words, the wiring length from thefirst device-side terminal 531 to the external connection terminal 632in the third interconnection 663 and the wiring length from the seconddevice-side terminal 532 to the external connection terminal 622 in thefourth interconnection 664 are roughly equal to each other.

Here, among the first device-side terminals 531, it is preferable forthe number (k) of the first device-side terminals 531 to be connected tothe external connection terminals 622 of the first connector section 62,and the number (n−k) of the first device-side terminals 531 to beconnected to the external connection terminals 632 of the secondconnector section 63 to satisfy the relationship of |(n−k)−k|/n≤0.2.

In other words, it is preferable to adopt the wiring configuration inwhich the difference between the number (k) of the first device-sideterminals 531 to be connected to the external connection terminals 622and the number (n-k) of the first device-side terminals 531 to beconnected to the external connection terminals 632 is equal to or lowerthan 20% of the total number (n) of the first device-side terminals 531.Further, it is more preferable that n is an even number, and k=n/2 isassumed.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a voltage value of a drive voltage to beapplied to each of the transmission/reception columns Ch. In FIG. 10,the dashed-dotted line represents the voltage value in the case of usingthe flexible board (related art example) having just one connectorsection with respect to the device connection section, and the solidline represents the voltage value in the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 10, in the past, the device-side terminals locatedclose to the connector section are connected to the external connectionterminals located on the device connection section side of the connectorsection, and the device-side terminals located farther from theconnector section are connected to the external connection terminalslocated farther from the device connection section of the connectorsection. Therefore, as the device-side terminal is located farther fromthe connector section, the length of the interconnection also increases,and due to the influence of the voltage drop, the voltage value of thedrive voltage applied to each of the transmission/reception columns Chconnected to the device-side terminals also drops.

In contrast, in the present embodiment, there are provided the firstconnector section 62 and the second connector section 63 as describedabove, and the interconnections 661, 662 are provided to the connectorsection 62, and the interconnections 663, 664 are provided to theconnector section 63, wherein the numbers of the interconnections 661,662, 663, and 664 are the same. Further, in the present embodiment, thefirst interconnections 661 and the third interconnections 663 are maderoughly line-symmetric about an X-central axis line L_(X) passingthrough the center of the ultrasonic device 5 and parallel to the Ydirection, and the second interconnections 662 and the fourthinterconnections 664 are made roughly line-symmetric about the X-centralaxis line L. Therefore, the first interconnection 661 connected to thei-th first device-side terminal 531, the second interconnection 662connected to the i-th second device-side terminal 532, the thirdinterconnection 663 connected to the (n−i+1)-th first device-sideterminal 531, and the fourth interconnection 664 connected to the(n−i+1)-th second device-side terminal 532 become roughly the same inlength, and as shown in FIG. 10, the influence of the voltage drop issuppressed.

2-2-3. Configuration of First Inflective Part 64 and Second InflectivePart 65

As shown in FIG. 8, the first inflective part 64 is disposed between thedevice connection section 61 and the first connector section 62, andlinks the first connector section 62 to the device connection section 61in a bendable manner. Similarly, the second inflective part 65 isdisposed between the device connection section 61 and the secondconnector section 63, and links the second connector section 63 to thedevice connection section 61 in a bendable manner.

The first inflective part 64 has the first slit 641 connected to theopening part 611 provided to the device connection section 61, and firstlinking parts 642 connected to the device connection section 61 and thefirst connector section 62 respectively on the ±Y sides of the firstslit 641.

As shown in FIG. 8, the first slit 641 is an opening elongated along theY direction (a direction crossing the direction from the deviceconnection section 61 toward the first connector section 62), andincludes the first negative-side end edge 612A, which is the end edge onthe −X side of the first connection part 614 and the first bending part615, and the second negative-side end edge 613A, which is the end edgeon the −X side of the second connection part 617 and the second bendingpart 618 as a part of the opening edge on the +X side. In the presentembodiment, the first negative-side end edge 612A and the secondnegative-side end edge 613A are located on a straight line along the Ydirection. The opening edge opposed to the first negative-side end edge612A and the second negative-side end edge 613A of the first slit 641forms a first opposed edge 641A shaped like a straight line parallel tothe Y direction.

Further, the opening edge (a first slit end edge 641B) on the −Y side ofthe first slit 641 links the −Y side end parts of the first opposed edge641A and the first negative-side end edge 612A to each other, and theopening edge (a first slit end edge 641C) on the +Y side of the firstslit 641 links the +Y side end parts of the first opposed edge 641A andthe second negative-side end edge 613A to each other. The first slit endedge 641B is disposed at a position shifted from the first connectionpart 614 toward the −Y side as much as a dimension D1. Further, thefirst slit end edge 641C is disposed at a position shifted from thesecond connection part 617 toward the +Y side as much as the dimensionD1.

Here, the dimension D1 is set to a dimension larger than a distance fromthe wiring board 53 to a first side 71A (see FIG. 11) of the firstreinforcing plate 71 in the case of connecting the flexible board 6 tothe ultrasonic device 5 supported by the first reinforcing plate 71 (seeFIG. 11) described later.

The first linking parts 642 each link the device connection section 61and the first connector section 62 to each other. The first linking part642 on the −Y side is provided with the first interconnections 661, andthe first linking part 642 on the +Y side is provided with the secondinterconnections 662.

The second inflective part 65 has the second slit 651 connected to theopening part 611 provided to the device connection section 61, andsecond linking parts 652 connected to the device connection section 61and the second connector section 63 respectively on the ±Y sides of thesecond slit 651.

The second slit 651 has roughly the same configuration as that of thefirst slit 641, and is connected to the opening part 611, including thefirst positive-side end edge 612B and the second positive-side end edge613B as a part of the opening edge on the −X side. The opening edgeopposed to the first positive-side end edge 612B and the secondpositive-side end edge 613B of the second slit 651 forms a secondopposed edge 651A shaped like a straight line parallel to the Ydirection.

Further, the end edge (a second slit end edge 651B) on the −Y side ofthe second slit 651 links the −Y side end parts of the second opposededge 651A and the first positive-side end edge 612B to each other, andthe end edge (a second slit end edge 651C) on the +Y side of the secondslit 651 links the +Y side end parts of the second opposed edge 651A andthe second positive-side end edge 613B to each other. The second slitend edge 651B is disposed at a position shifted from the firstconnection part 614 toward the −Y side as much as the dimension D1, andthe second slit end edge 651C is disposed at a position shifted from thesecond connection part 617 toward the +Y side as much as the dimensionD1.

Incidentally, the first device-side terminals 531 to which the firstconnection part 614 is connected are disposed on the −Y side end part ofthe ultrasonic device 5, and the second device-side terminals 532 towhich the second connection part 617 is connected are disposed on the +Yside end edge of the ultrasonic device 5. The fact that the first slitend edge 641B and the first connection part 614 are distant from eachother as much as the dimension D1, and the first slit end edge 641C andthe second connection part 617 are distant from each other as much asthe dimension D1 means that the width dimension in the Y direction ofthe first slit 641 and the second slit 651 is larger than the widthdimension in the Y direction of the ultrasonic device 5.

Here, the dimension from the first negative-side end edge 612A to thefirst opposed edge 641A and the dimension from the second negative-sideend edge 613A to the first opposed edge 641A are the same as each other,and are defined as a width dimension W1 in the X direction in the firstslit 641. Further, the dimension from the first positive-side end edge612B to the second opposed edge 651A and the dimension from the secondpositive-side end edge 613B to the second opposed edge 651A are the sameas each other, and are defined as a width dimension W2 in the Xdirection in the second slit 651. In the present embodiment, the widthdimension W1 of the first slit 641 and the width dimension W2 of thesecond slit 651 are different from each other, and satisfy W1<W2.

The second linking parts 652 each link the device connection section 61and the second connector section 63 to each other. The second linkingpart 652 on the −Y side is provided with the third interconnections 663,and the second linking part 652 on the +Y side is provided with thefourth interconnections 664.

2-3. Configuration of First Reinforcing Plate 71 and Second ReinforcingPlate 72

2-3-1. Configuration of First Reinforcing Plate 71

FIG. 11 is a plan view, a front view, and a side view of a firstreinforcing plate 71.

The first reinforcing plate 71 supports the ultrasonic device 5, and isfixed to the housing 21. Further, the first reinforcing plate 71 isformed of a resin material in order to prevent short circuit of theinterconnections of the flexible board 6 when the first reinforcingplate 71 has contact with the flexible board 6 connected to theultrasonic device 5.

As shown in FIG. 11, the first reinforcing plate 71 has, for example, aroughly rectangular shape in a plan view viewed from the substratethickness direction, and is provided with a first side 71A (−Y side) anda third side 71C (+Y side) parallel to the X direction, and a secondside 71B (−X side) and a fourth side 71D (+X side) parallel to the Ydirection. The second side 71B and the fourth side 71D each form a sideparallel to the extending direction of the first bending part 615 andthe second bending part 618 in the case of fixing the ultrasonic device5 to the first reinforcing plate 71 and connecting the flexible board 6to the ultrasonic device 5. The first side 71A and the third side 71Ceach form a side crossing the extending direction of the first bendingpart 615 and the second bending part 618 in the case of fixing theultrasonic device 5 to the first reinforcing plate 71 and connecting theflexible board 6 to the ultrasonic device 5.

The first reinforcing plate 71 is provided with positioning blocks 711along the second side 71B and the fourth side 71D, respectively.Specifically, there are disposed the positioning block 711 located in anarea from a corner part between the first side 71A and the second side71B through a corner part between the second side 71B and the third side71C, and the positioning block 711 located in an area from a corner partbetween the third side 71C and the fourth side 71D through a corner partbetween the fourth side 71D and the first side 71A. These positioningblocks 711 each correspond to reference corner parts. For example, thepositioning block 711 disposed along the second side 71B includes thereference corner part with respect to the corner part between the firstside 71A and the second side 71B, and the reference corner part withrespect to the corner part between the third side 71C and the secondside 71B.

Each of the positioning blocks 711 is provided with first referencesurfaces 711A parallel to the X direction, a second reference surface711B parallel to the Y direction, and a third reference surface 711C anda fourth reference surface 711D crossing the first reference surfaces711A and the second reference surface 711B.

Specifically, the first reference surfaces 711A are ±Y side end surfacesof the positioning block 711, and are planes parallel to the X-Z plane.

The second reference surface 711B is a −X side end surface in thepositioning block 711 located on the second side 71B side, and a +X sideend surface in the positioning block 711 located on the fourth side 71Dside, and is a plane parallel to the Y-Z plane.

The third reference surface 711C is a +Z side end surface of each of thepositioning blocks 711, and has contact with the housing 21. The thirdreference surface 711C is located on the +Z side with respect to thesurface (a fixation surface 712) on the +Z side of the central part ofthe first reinforcing plate 71. Thus, a step 713 is disposed between thethird reference surface 711C and the fixation surface 712, and due tothe step 713, the ±X side end surfaces of the ultrasonic device 5 arepositioned. Here, it is preferable for the height dimension (thedimension in the Z direction) of the step 713 to be equal to or largerthan at least the thickness dimension of the flexible board 6. It shouldbe noted that the fixation surface 712 is a surface for supporting theultrasonic device 5, and corresponds to a support part.

The fourth reference surface 711D is a surface forming a reverse surfacewith respect to the third reference surface 711C, and is opposed to thesecond reinforcing plate 72 described later when housing the ultrasonicdevice unit 4 in the housing 21.

It should be noted that in the present embodiment, the fourth referencesurface 711D is disposed in the same plane as the reverse surface 714 asshown in FIG. 11.

Further, the width dimension W4 in the X direction of the positioningblock 711 is smaller than the width dimension W1 of the first slit 641and the width dimension W2 of the second slit 651 (see FIG. 8).

Further, in each of the positioning blocks 711, a surface (a surface onthe opposite side to the second reference surface 711B) crossing thefirst side 71A and the third side 71C forms a guide surface 711E. Theguide surface 711E is a surface parallel to the Y-Z plane, and hascontact with the end edges 612A, 612B, 613A, and 613B when curving thefirst bending part 615 and the second bending part 618 of the flexibleboard 6 respectively along the opposed end surfaces 715.

Here, the distance along the X direction between a pair of guidesurfaces 711E opposed to each other across the first side 71A is roughlythe same as the width dimension W3 in the X direction of the firstconnection part 614 and the first bending part 615 of the flexible board6.

Further, on the ±Y sides of the fixation surface of the firstreinforcing plate 71, there are disposed the opposed end surfaces 715along the first side 71A and the third side 71C, respectively. In thepresent embodiment, as the opposed end surfaces 715, there areillustrated flat surface shapes crossing the fixation surface 712. Itshould be noted that the opposed end surfaces 715 can each be configuredto have an arc-like curved surface, the Y-Z cross-sectional surface ofwhich has an arc-like shape convex toward a direction of getting awayfrom the fixation surface 712, and in this case, it is possible to curvethe first bending part 615 and the second bending part 618 along therespective opposed end surfaces 715.

Further, on the fourth reference surface 711D of each of the positioningblocks 711, there are projected a first projecting part 717 and a secondprojecting part 718 on the +Z side, wherein the first projecting part717 and the second projecting part 718 project toward the reversesurface 714 side.

The first projecting part 717 is disposed on the third side 71C side ofthe Y-central axis line L_(Y) on each of the positioning blocks 711. Inother words, in the present embodiment, there are disposed the two firstprojecting parts 717. An end surface on the −Y side of the firstprojecting part 717 acts as a first positioning surface 717A with whichthe first outer edge part 6A of the flexible board 6 has contact to bepositioned when curving the flexible board 6 in the first bending areaAr3.

In contrast, the second projecting part 718 is disposed on the firstside 71A side of the Y-central axis line L_(Y) on each of thepositioning blocks 711. In other words, in the present embodiment, thereare disposed the two second projecting parts 718. An end surface on the+Y side of the second projecting part 718 acts as a second positioningsurface 718A with which the second outer edge part 6B of the flexibleboard 6 has contact to be positioned when curving the flexible board 6in the second bending area Ar4.

The width dimensions in the X direction of the first projecting parts717 and the second projecting parts 718 are made sufficiently smallerthan the width dimensions in the X direction of the first slit 641 andthe second slit 651.

The dimension D11 from the first positioning surface 717A to the secondpositioning surface 718A is smaller than the width dimensions D3, D4 inthe Y direction of the first linking parts 642, and the width dimensionsD5, D6 in the Y direction of the second linking parts 652. Morepreferably, D11=D3=D4=D5=D6 is satisfied. In this case, when curving theflexible board 6 in the first bending area Ar3 and the second bendingarea Ar4, the ±Y side end edges (the first outer edge part 6A, thesecond outer edge part 6B, the first slit end edges 641B, 641C, and thesecond slit end edges 651B, 651C) of the first linking parts 642 and thesecond linking part 652 have contact with the first positioning surfaces717A and the second positioning surfaces 718A, and are positioned.

Incidentally, in the first reinforcing plate 71, the dimension from thethird side 71C to the first positioning surfaces 717A is D12, and thedimension from the first side 71A to the second positioning surfaces718A is D13.

Further, when fixing the ultrasonic device 5 to the fixation surface 712of the first reinforcing plate 71, the first device-side terminals 531are located at a first position 531A distant from the first side 71A asmuch as a dimension D14 (a first distance), and the second device-sideterminals 532 are located at a second position 532A distant from thethird side 71C as much as a dimension D15 (a second distance) as shownin FIG. 11.

Further, in the present embodiment, defining the thickness dimension(the thickness dimension from the fixation surface 712 to the reversesurface 714) of the first reinforcing plate 71 as D16, the dimension D1from the first slit end edge 641B to the first connection part 614 (fromthe first slit end edge 641C to the second connection part 617, from thesecond slit end edge 651B to the first connection part 614, from thesecond slit end edge 651C to the second connection part 617) satisfiesthe following expressions (1), (2).D1>D13+D14+D16 . . .  (1)D1>D12+D15+D16 . . .  (2)

Further, as described above, in the present embodiment, the firstreinforcing plate 71 is formed of the resin material, and is thereforelower in strength compared to the case of being formed of, for example,metal. Therefore, in order to increase the substrate strength, the firstreinforcing plate 71 is provided with a recessed part 714A disposed onthe reverse surface 714, and a metal plate 716 is disposed in therecessed part 714A. The metal plate 716 is disposed on the bottomsurface of the recessed part 714A, and does not protrude outward (the −Zside) from the reverse surface 714. Thus, even when bending the flexibleboard 6 toward the reverse surface 714 side of the first reinforcingplate 71, the flexible board 6 and the metal plate 716 do not interferewith each other.

2-3-2. Configuration of Second Reinforcing Plate 72

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the second reinforcing plate 72 supportsthe second connector section 63.

FIG. 12 is a plan view, a front view, and a side view of the secondreinforcing plate 72.

As shown in FIG. 12, the second reinforcing plate 72 has a roughlyrectangular shape having a fifth side 72A, a sixth side 72B, a seventhside 72C, and an eighth side 72D in a planar view viewed from the platethickness direction similarly to the first reinforcing plate 71.

The second reinforcing plate 72 is provided with a connector supportsurface 721 with which the central part (an area where the connectors631 are disposed) of the second connector section 63 has contact, and areverse surface 722 on the opposite side to the connector supportsurface 721. Further, the second reinforcing plate 72 is provided withsecond bending guide parts 723 each curved to have an arc-like shapedisposed respectively in the fifth side 72A and the seventh side 72Cextending along the X direction similarly to the first reinforcing plate71.

Further, the second reinforcing plate 72 is provided with secondpositioning blocks 724 respectively disposed along the sixth side 72Band the eighth side 72D located on the ±X sides similarly to the firstreinforcing plate 71.

The second positioning blocks 724 are each provided with a recessed part724A on a surface on the opposite side to the connector support surface721. The recessed part 724A forms a configuration space for the firstinflective part 64 and the second inflective part 65 of the flexibleboard 6. Specifically, the width dimension D2 in the Y direction of therecessed part 724A of the second positioning block 724 located on the −Xside is equal to or larger than the width dimensions D3, D4 in the Ydirection of the first linking parts 642 of the first inflective part64, and preferably satisfies D2=D3=D4.

Further, although not shown in the drawings, the width dimension in theY direction of the recessed part 724A of the second positioning block724 located on the +X side is equal to or larger than the widthdimensions D5, D6 in the Y direction of the second linking parts of thesecond inflective part 65, and is preferably the same as the dimensionsD5, D6.

That is, by making the width dimension in the Y direction of therecessed part 724A equal to the width dimension in the Y direction ofthe first linking part 642 and the second linking part 652, it ispossible to support the end edges (a first outer edge part 6A, a secondouter edge part 6B, the first slit end edges 641B, 641C, and the secondslit end edges 651B, 651C) on the ±Y sides of the first linking part 642and the second linking part 652 with the inner periphery side surfacesof the recessed part 724A.

Further, on a surface on the opposite side to the connector supportsurface 721 of the second positioning block 724, there are disposedmount surfaces 724B across the recessed part 724A from each other. Themount surfaces 724B are respectively mounted on the first projectingpart 717 and the second projecting part 718 when storing the secondreinforcing plate 72 in the housing 21.

In the present embodiment, the mount surfaces 724B are located on the −Zside (+Z side when stored in the housing 21) of the reverse surface 722.Thus, when mounting the mount surfaces 724B on the first projecting part717 and the second projecting part 718, between the reverse surface 714of the first reinforcing plate 71 and the reverse surface 722 of thesecond reinforcing plate 72, there is formed a space at least equal toor larger than the configuration space S for the flexible board 6 thatis folded multiple times and the connectors 621 of the first connectorsection 62.

The surface on the fifth side 72A side and on the seventh side 72C sideof each of the second positioning blocks 724 forms a second guidesurface 724C for guiding the second opposed edge 651A of the second slit651 of the flexible board 6, and an outer peripheral edge on the −X sideof the flexible board 6.

2-4. Configuration of Housing 21

As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 21 is provided with a storage part 211and a lid part 212.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the storage part 211 is a vessel-likemember for storing the ultrasonic device unit 4, and has a sensor window211B in a bottom part 211A, wherein the acoustic lens 54 of theultrasonic device 5 is exposed to the outside from the sensor window211B.

Further, in the bottom part 211A of the storage part 211, there isdisposed a device installation part 213 (a unit holding part) so as tosurround the sensor window 211B. The device installation part 213 isformed to have a frame-like shape rising from the bottom part 211A sothat the four corners of the first reinforcing plate 71 are fitted intothe device installation part 213.

2-5. Storage of Ultrasonic Device Unit 4 into Housing 21

In such an ultrasonic probe 2 as described above, firstly, theultrasonic device 5 is fixed to the fixation surface 712 of the firstreinforcing plate 71.

Then, the first connection part 614 of the flexible board 6 is connectedto the −X side of the wiring board 53 of the ultrasonic device 5. Thus,the connection terminals of the first connection part 614 and the firstdevice-side terminals 531 are electrically connected to each other,respectively. Further, the second connection part 617 is connected tothe +X side of the wiring board 53 of the ultrasonic device 5. Thus, theconnection terminals of the second connection part 617 and the seconddevice-side terminals 532 are electrically connected to each other,respectively.

On this occasion, the first negative-side end edge 612A of the flexibleboard 6 is made to have contact with (be guided by) the guide surface711E located on the −X side of the first side 71A, and the firstpositive-side end edge 612B is made to have contact with (be guided by)the guide surface 711E located on the +X side of the first side 71A.Further, the second negative-side end edge 613A of the flexible board 6is made to have contact with (be guided by) the guide surface 711Elocated on the −X side of the third side 71C, and the secondpositive-side end edge 613B is made to have contact with (be guided by)the guide surface 711E located on the +X side of the third side 71C.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the case in which the flexible board 6is curved along the X direction in the present embodiment. Further, FIG.14 is a perspective view of the flexible board 6 viewed from a reversesurface side in FIG. 13.

Subsequently, the flexible board 6 is curved in a first bending area Ar3(see FIG. 8) including the first bending part 615 parallel to the Xdirection to fold back the end edge on the −Y side of the flexible board6 toward the +Y side. Further, the flexible board 6 is curved in asecond bending area Ar4 (see FIG. 8) including the second bending part618 parallel to the X direction to fold back the end edge on the +Y sideof the flexible board 6 toward the −Y side. It should be noted thateither one of the first bending area Ar3 and the second bending area Ar4can be folded back first.

Here, as shown in FIG. 14, the end edges (the first negative-side endedge 612A and the first positive-side end edge 612B) of the ±X sides ofthe first bending part 615 and the end edges (the second negative-sideend edge 613A and the second positive-side end edge 613B) on the ±Xsides of the second bending part 618 are guided by the guide surfaces711E. Thus, the tilt of the flexible board 6 with respect to the firstreinforcing plate 71 is suppressed.

Further, the first outer edge part 6A of the flexible board 6 is made tohave contact with the first positioning surfaces 717A of the firstprojecting parts 717, and the second outer edge part 6B is made to havecontact with the second positioning surfaces 718A of the secondprojecting parts 718 on the reverse surface 714 side of the firstreinforcing plate 71. Thus, it results that the first outer edge part 6Aand the second outer edge part 6B of the flexible board 6 are eachpositioned by a plurality of (two) projection parts, and thus, it ispossible to appropriately bend the flexible board 6 in the first bendingarea Ar3 and the second bending area Ar4, and the tilt with respect tothe X direction is suppressed.

On this occasion, the flexible board 6 is curved so that the first slitend edges 641B, 641C of the first slit 641 and the second slit end edges651B, 651C of the second slit 651 are located between the firstpositioning surfaces 717A and the second positioning surfaces 718A.Thus, the first projecting parts 717 and the second projecting parts 718are inserted through the first slit 641 and the second slit 651, and thedisadvantage that the flexible board 6 covers the first projecting parts717 and the second projecting parts 718 is prevented.

Further, in the case in which the dimension D11 from the firstpositioning surface 717A to the second position surface 718A is set tosatisfy D11=D3=D4=D5=D6, it is possible to make the ±Y side end edges ofthe first linking parts 642 and the second linking parts 652 havecontact with, and be guided by the first positioning surfaces 717A andthe second positioning surfaces 718A. On this occasion, the tilt of theflexible board 6 with respect to the first reinforcing plate (theultrasonic device 5) is more surely suppressed.

Further, since the extending dimension (the dimension D1) of the firstwiring part 612 in the flexible board 6 satisfies the expressions (1),(2) described above, the first bending part 615 is curved to have anarc-like shape at the position opposed to the opposed end surface 715,and it is possible to prevent breaking of the interconnections caused bybending the flexible board 6 at, for example, right angle in the firstside 71A or the third side 71C.

As described above, in the flexible board 6, by bending the firstbending area Ar3 along (in parallel to the X direction) the first side71A of the first reinforcing plate 71, the first device stacking part616 is stacked on the reverse surface 714 side of the first reinforcingplate 71 so as to overlap the first reinforcing plate 71. Further, bybending the second bending area Ar4 along (in parallel to the Xdirection) the third side 71C of the first reinforcing plate 71, thesecond device stacking part 619 is stacked on the reverse surface 714side of the first reinforcing plate 71 so as to overlap the firstreinforcing plate 71.

Further, in a similar manner, in each of the first connector section 62,the first inflective part 64 and the second inflective part 65, an arealocated on the −Y side of the first bending area Ar3 is made to overlapa central area Ar5. Further, in each of the first connector section 62,the first inflective part 64 and the second inflective part 65, an arealocated on the +Y side of the second bending area Ar4 is made to overlapthe central area Ar5.

Further, the first bending area Ar3 and the second bending area Ar4 ofthe second connector section 63 are guided by the second guide surfaces724C to be curved along the second bending guide parts 723 of the secondreinforcing plate 72, and thus, an area located on the −Y side of thefirst bending area Ar3 of the second connector section 63 and an arealocated on the +Y side of the second bending area Ar4 are made tooverlap the reverse surface of the second reinforcing plate 72.

As described above, when curving the flexible board 6, the first slitend edges 641B, 641C of the first slit 641 and the second slit end edges651B, 651C of the second slit 651 move to the positions to be overlappedwith the central area Ar5. Therefore, even in the case in which theflexible board 6 is folded back in the first bending area Ar3 and thesecond bending area Ar4 to be deformed to have a roughly cylindricalshape, in each of the first inflective part 64 and the second inflectivepart 65, there is formed a shape in which the two first linking parts642 (the two second linking parts 652 in the second inflective part 65)overlap each other only on the reverse surface 714 side of the firstreinforcing plate 71. In other words, the first inflective part 64 andthe second inflective part 65 do not form a cylindrical shape, but areeasily bent toward the reverse surface 714 side of the first reinforcingplate 71.

Further, in the present embodiment, the width dimension W1 in the Xdirection of the first slit 641 in the first inflective part 64 issmaller than the width dimension W2 in the X direction of the secondslit 651 in the second inflective part 65. Therefore, when bending thefirst inflective part 64 and second inflective part 65, the firstinflective part 64 is bent first, and then the first connector section62 is overlapped with the first reinforcing plate 71. Here, since theX-width dimension of the first connector section 62 is smaller than theX-width dimension of the first reinforcing plate 71, the first connectorsection 62 does not project toward the second inflective part 65, anddoes not hinder bending of the second inflective part 65.

Further, by bending the first inflective part 64 toward the reversesurface 714 side of the first reinforcing plate 71, the connectors 621in the first connector section 62 project toward the −Z side.

Then, the first reinforcing plate 71 is fixed to the storage part 211 ofthe housing 21.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the first referencesurfaces 711A and the second reference surfaces 711B of the positioningblocks 711 provided to the first reinforcing plate 71 are made to havecontact with, and then fitted into, the device installation part 213provided to the housing 21. Thus, the third reference surfaces 711C ofthe first reinforcing plate 71 have contact with the bottom part 211A ofthe housing 21, and the acoustic lens 54 of the ultrasonic device 5projects from the sensor window 211B.

Further, on this occasion, each of the connectors 621 in the firstconnector section 62 is exposed on the opposite side to the bottom part211A of the storage part 211. Then, the terminals disposed on the tip ofthe cable 3 are connected to the connectors 621.

FIG. 15 is a side view of the ultrasonic device unit 4 housed in thehousing 21 viewed from the first inflective part 64 side, and FIG. 16 isa side view viewed from the second inflective part 65 side. It should benoted that the illustration of the second reinforcing plate 72 isomitted in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16.

Subsequently, the second inflective part 65 is bent to overlap thesecond reinforcing plate 72 which supports the second connector section63 with the first reinforcing plate 71. Thus, the mount surfaces 724B ofthe second positioning blocks 724 of the second reinforcing plate 72 aremounted on the first projecting parts 717 of the positioning blocks 711of the first reinforcing plate 71 and the second projecting parts 718.

On this occasion, since the width dimension W2 of the second slit 651 inthe second inflective part 65 satisfies W2>W1, the second connectorsection 63 does not interfere with the first connector section 62, andthe first inflective part 64 and the second inflective part 65 do notproject outside as shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, and therefore,miniaturization of the flexible board 6 can be advanced.

Further, when mounting the mount surfaces 724B of the second reinforcingplate 72 on the first projecting parts 717 and the second projectingparts 718 of the first reinforcing plate 71, the configuration space Sfor disposing the flexible board 6 and the first connector section 62 isformed between the reverse surface 714 of the first reinforcing plate 71and the reverse surface 722 of the second reinforcing plate 72. In theconfiguration space S, there are disposed the first device stacking part616, the second device stacking part 619, the first connector section 62bent to be triply overlapped, the second connector section 63 benttoward the reverse surface 722 side of the second reinforcing plate 72to be doubly overlapped, the connectors in the first connector section62, and the terminals of the cable 3 to be connected to the connectors(the illustration of the cable 3 is omitted in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3).

Further, since the connectors 631 of the second connector section 63supported by the second reinforcing plate 72 are exposed on the −Z side,the terminals provided to the tip of the cable 3 are connected to theconnectors 631. Subsequently, the lid part 212 is fixed to the storagepart 211, and the space between the sensor window 211B and the acousticlens 54 is sealed with a resin material such as silicone resin, andthus, the ultrasonic probe 2 is assembled.

3. Functions and Advantages of First Embodiment

The ultrasonic device unit 4 according to the present embodiment isprovided with the ultrasonic device 5, the flexible board 6 connected tothe ultrasonic device 5, and the first reinforcing plate 71 forsupporting the ultrasonic device 5. The flexible board 6 is providedwith the first connection part 614 and the second connection part 617 tobe connected to the ultrasonic device 5, and the first bending part 615and the second bending part 618 extending respectively from the firstconnection part 614 and the second connection part 617, and the outeredges (±Y side end edges) in the extending direction of the firstbending part 615 and the second bending part 618 of the flexible board 6are respectively provided with the first outer edge part 6A and thesecond outer edge part 6B. Further, the first reinforcing plate 71 isprovided with the first projecting parts 717 and the second projectingparts 718, wherein the first outer edge part 6A has contact with thefirst projecting parts 717 and the second outer edge part 6B has contactwith the second projecting parts 718, when fixing the ultrasonic device5 to the fixation surface 712 for fixing the ultrasonic device 5, thenconnecting the flexible board 6 to the ultrasonic device 5, and thencurving the flexible board 6 along the first side 71A and the third side71C.

In such a configuration, since the first outer edge part 6A and thesecond outer edge part 6B of the flexible board 6 are respectivelypositioned by the first projecting parts 717 and the second projectingparts 718, it is possible to curve the first bending part 615 and thesecond bending part 618 without being bent respectively at the firstside 71A and the third side 71C at, for example, right angle, and thus,breaking of the interconnections can be prevented. Further, since it ispossible to curve the flexible board 6 in the first bending area Ar3 andthe second bending area Ar4 along the arrangement direction (the Xdirection) of the ultrasonic device 5, for example, it is possible toprevent a part of the flexible board 6 from projecting outside the sides71A, 71B, 71C, and 71D of the first reinforcing plate 71, to therebyachieve the miniaturization of the ultrasonic device unit.

Thus, the miniaturization in the ultrasonic probe 2 incorporating theultrasonic device unit 4 and the ultrasonic measurement apparatus 1 canalso be advanced.

In the present embodiment, the number of the first projecting parts 717disposed is two, and the number of the second projecting parts 718disposed is two. Therefore, by making the first outer edge part 6A havecontact with the two first projecting parts 717, and making the secondouter edge part 6B have contact with the two second projecting parts718, it is possible to curve the flexible board 6 without tilting theflexible board 6 with respect to the X direction.

In the present embodiment, the width dimension in the X direction of thefirst slit 641 of the flexible board 6 is larger than the widthdimensions in the X direction of the second projecting parts 718 and thefirst projecting parts 717. Further, the width dimensions (D3 throughD6) in the Y direction of the first linking parts 642 and the secondlinking parts 652 of the flexible board 6 are smaller than the dimensionD11 from the first positioning surface 717A to the second positioningsurface 718A.

Therefore, when bending the flexible board 6 along the first side 71Aand the third side 71C, the first projecting parts 717 and the secondprojecting parts 718 are inserted through the slits, and thus,interference between the flexible board 6, and the first projectingparts 717 and the second projecting parts 718 can be prevented. In otherwords, the flexible board 6 is prevented from covering the surfaces (onthe −Z side) of the first projecting parts 717 and the second projectingparts 718, and thus, the miniaturization of the ultrasonic device unit 4can be achieved.

Further, when overlapping the second reinforcing plate 72 with the firstreinforcing plate 71, the mount surfaces 724B of the second positioningblocks 724 are mounted on projection tip surfaces of the firstprojecting parts 717 and the second projecting parts 718. Thus, there isprovided the configuration in which the first linking parts 642 and thesecond linking parts 652 are sandwiched by the first projecting parts717 and the second projecting parts 718 on the ±Y sides, and aresandwiched by the first reinforcing plate 71 and the second reinforcingplate 72, and thus, the displacement of the flexible board 6 can besuppressed.

In particular, by making the dimension D11 from the first positioningsurface 717A to the second positioning surface 718A and the widthdimensions (D3 through D6) in the Y direction of the first linking parts642 and the second linking parts 652 of the flexible board 6 equal toeach other, the ±Y side end edges of the first linking parts 642 and thesecond linking parts 652 are held (guided) by the first positioningsurfaces 717A and the second positioning surfaces 718A, and thus, it ispossible to more surely suppress the displacement of the flexible board6.

MODIFIED EXAMPLES

It should be noted that the invention is not limited to the embodimentand the modified examples described above, but includes modificationsand improvements within a range in which the advantages of the inventioncan be achieved, and configurations which can be obtained by arbitrarycombinations of the embodiment and modified examples, and so on.

In the embodiment described above, there is described the example inwhich the distance from the first connection part 614 to the first slitend edge 641B in the first slit 641, the distance from the secondconnection part 617 to the first slit end edge 641C in the first slit641, the distance from the first connection part 614 to the second slitend edge 651B in the slit 651, and the distance from the secondconnection part 617 to the second slit end edge 651C in the second slit651 are the same dimension D1, but this example is not a limitation. Forexample, the distances described above can also be different from eachother, and it is sufficient for the flexible board 6 not to overlap thefirst projecting parts 717 and the second projecting parts 718 in thecase of connecting the first connection part 614 and the secondconnection part 617 to the ultrasonic device 5, and then curving theflexible board 6 in the first bending area Ar3 and the second bendingarea Ar4.

The same applies to the width dimensions in the Y direction (D3 throughD6) in the first linking parts 642 and the second linking parts 652, andany dimensions can be adopted as long as the flexible board 6 do notoverlap the first projecting parts 717 and the second projecting parts718. For example, it is also possible for the width dimensions of thefirst linking part 642 and the second linking part 652 on the −Y side tobe smaller than the width dimensions of the first linking part 642 andthe second linking part 652 on the +Y side. In this case, it issufficient to dispose the positions of the first projecting parts 717and the second projecting parts 718 in accordance with the dimensions.

In the embodiment described above, there is shown the example in whichthe first slit 641 and the second slit 651 are disposed continuouslyfrom the first wiring part 612 to the second wiring part 613, but theexample is not a limitation.

For example, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which theslits are disposed respectively on the ±X sides of the first wiring part612 and the ±X sides of the second wiring part 613 independently of eachother.

In the embodiment described above, there is shown the example in whichthe first projecting parts 717 have the first positioning surfaces 717Afor positioning the first outer edge part 6A, and the second projectingparts 718 have the second positioning surfaces 718A for positioning thesecond outer edge part 6B, but the example is not a limitation.

FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 are each a cross-sectional view of the positioningblock 711 of the first reinforcing plate 71 related to a modifiedexample cut along the Y-Z plane at a position at which the projectionparts are disposed.

For example, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which eachof the first positioning surfaces 717A of the first projecting parts 717is provided with a cutout groove 717B having a shape recessed toward theY side from the first positioning surface 717A as shown in FIG. 17. Insuch a configuration, by tucking the first outer edge part 6A into thecutout grooves 717B, it is possible to fix the flexible board 6.

The same applies to the second projecting parts 718, and it is alsopossible to adopt a configuration of providing the cutout grooves 718Bfor tucking the second outer edge part 6B.

Further, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the firstprojecting parts 717 are each provided with a cutout groove 717C fortucking the first slit end edge 641C (or the second slit end edge 651C),and the second projecting parts 718 are each provided with a cutoutgroove 718C for tucking the first lit end edge 641B (or the second slitend edge 651B) as shown in FIG. 18. In this case, it is possible to fixthe first linking parts 642 and the second linking parts 652 between thefirst projecting parts 717 and the second projecting parts 718, andthus, the displacement (the tilt with respect to the X direction) of theflexible board 6 can more surely be suppressed.

Further, in the embodiment described above, there is described theexample in which the positioning blocks 711 disposed on the ±X sides ofthe first reinforcing plate 71 are each provided with the firstprojecting parts 717 and the second projecting parts 718, but it is alsopossible to adopt a configuration in which the first projecting parts717 and the second projecting parts 718 are provided to, for example,only either one of the positioning blocks 711 on the ±X sides.

Further, it is also possible to adopt a configuration provide with threeor more first projecting parts 717 and three or more second projectingparts 718. In this case, some of the first projecting parts 717 and thesecond projecting parts 718 can be disposed between the positioningblocks 711 on the ±X sides. By providing the first wiring part 612 orthe second wiring part 613 of the flexible board 6 with insertion holescorresponding to the first projecting part 717 and the second projectingpart 718 disposed between the positioning blocks 711, it is possible toprevent the disadvantage that the flexible board 6 covers the surfacesof the first projecting parts 717 and the second projecting parts 718.Further, by inserting the first projecting parts 717 and the secondprojecting parts 718 through the insertion holes provided to theflexible board 6, it is possible to improve the positioning accuracy inthe case of curving the flexible board 6 to be bent.

In the embodiment described above, there is illustrated theconfiguration in which the first reinforcing plate 71 is provided withboth of the first projecting parts 717 and the second projecting parts718, but this is not a limitation. For example, in the case in which thesecond device-side terminals 532 are not provided in the ultrasonicdevice 5, and so on, the area on the +Y side of the second bending areaAr4 becomes unnecessary in the flexible board 6, accordingly. In such acase, since it is sufficient to fold the area on the −Y side of thefirst bending area Ar3 so as to overlap the first reinforcing plate 71,the second projecting parts 718 become unnecessary.

Although there is described the example in which the second reinforcingplate 72 is provided with the second bending guide parts 723, flat-platesurfaces can also be adopted similarly to the first reinforcing plate71. As described above, by making the first outer edge part 6A and thesecond outer edge part 6B have contact with the first projecting parts717 and the second projecting parts 718 when curving the flexible board6 along the first side 71A and the third side 71C of the firstreinforcing plate 71, it is possible to curve the flexible board 6without tilting with respect to the X direction.

In the embodiment described above, there is adopted the configuration inwhich the recessed part 714A is provided to the reverse surface 714 ofthe first reinforcing plate 71, and the metal plate 716 is provided tothe recessed part 714A, but this is not a limitation.

For example, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which, forexample, the metal plate 716 is embedded inside the first reinforcingplate 71 without providing the recessed part 714A to the firstreinforcing plate 71.

In the embodiment described above, there is shown the configuration inwhich the first reference surfaces 711A and the second referencesurfaces 711B of the positioning blocks 711 are made to have contactwith the device installation part 213 of the housing 21 to therebyachieve the positioning, but this is not a limitation. It is alsopossible to adopt a configuration in which, for example, the positioningblocks 711 are provided with a plurality of hole parts, and the housing21 is provided with pins which can be fitted into the hole partsdescribed above.

Further, there is illustrated the configuration in which the mountsurfaces 724B of the second reinforcing plate 72 are mounted on thefirst projecting parts 717 and the second projecting parts 718, but thisis not a limitation. For example, it is also possible to adopt aconfiguration in which the second reinforcing plate 72 is provided withengaging recessed parts to be engaged with the first projecting parts717 and the second projecting parts 718. In this case, it is possible tosurely fix the second reinforcing plate 72 to the first reinforcingplate 71.

In the embodiment described above, there is shown the example in whichthe ultrasonic device 5 transmits the ultrasonic wave from the substrateopening part 511A, and receives the ultrasonic wave entering thesubstrate opening part 511A. In contrast, it is also possible to adopt aconfiguration in which the sealing plate 52 is disposed on the substrateopening part 511A side, and the ultrasonic wave is output to theopposite side to the substrate opening part 511A.

Further, the transmission/reception column Ch provided with a pluralityof ultrasonic transducers Tr is illustrated as the vibrator elementprovided to the ultrasonic device 5, but this example is not alimitation. For example, it is also possible that each of the ultrasonictransducers Tr can also be configured as a vibrator element.

Further, there is shown an example of the ultrasonic transducer Tr inwhich the ultrasonic wave is transmitted by vibrating the support film512 with the piezoelectric element 513, and the ultrasonic wave isreceived by converting the vibration of the support film 512 into anelectric signal with the piezoelectric element 513, but this example isnot a limitation. For example, it is also possible to adopt aconfiguration in which the ultrasonic wave is transmitted and receivedby vibrating a bulk-type piezoelectric body, and further, it is alsopossible to adopt a configuration in which electrodes opposed to eachother are provided to a pair of film members, and a cyclic drive voltageis applied between the electrodes to thereby vibrate the film membersusing electrostatic force.

In the embodiment described above, the ultrasonic measurement apparatus1 taking an organ in a living body as the measurement object isillustrated as the ultrasonic apparatus, but this is not a limitation.For example, the configurations of the embodiment and the modifiedexamples described above can be applied to a measurement apparatustaking a variety of types of structures as the measurement object, andperforming detection of defects of the structures and inspections ofaging of the structures. Further, the same applies to a measurementapparatus taking, for example, a semiconductor package or a wafer as themeasurement object, and detecting the defects of the measurement object.

Besides the above, specific structures to be adopted when implementingthe invention can be configured by arbitrarily combining the embodimentand the modified examples described above with each other, or canarbitrarily be replaced with other structures and so on within the rangein which the advantages of the invention can be achieved.

The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-055813filed Mar. 22, 2017 is expressly incorporated by reference herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An ultrasonic assembly comprising: three directions orthogonal to each other being defined as an X-direction, a Y-direction, and a Z-direction; an ultrasonic device, the ultrasonic device having: a substrate in which a plurality of ultrasonic elements are formed, the substrate being rectangular-shaped and having a plane along the X-direction and the Y-direction; a wiring board overlapped with the substrate in the Z-direction, the wiring board being rectangular-shaped and having a plane along the X-direction and the Y-direction; and a terminal disposed on a first surface of the wiring board; a reinforcing member, the reinforcing member being configured with: a support plate having a second surface and a third surface along the X-direction and the Y-direction and outwardly opposite to each other, the support plate being rectangular-shaped and having a first side and a second side opposite to each other along the X-direction; first and second ledges provided at the first and second sides of the support plate, respectively, the wiring board of the ultrasonic device being disposed on the support plate, the first surface of the wiring board facing the second surface of the support plate; and first and second projections provided on the first and second ledges, respectively, the first and second projections being located closer to the third surface of the support plate than the second surface of the support plate; and a flexible printed wiring board disposed to face the third surface of the support plate of the reinforcing member, the flexible printed wiring board being overlapped with the ultrasonic device and the reinforcing member in the Z-direction, the flexible printed wiring board having: an end flexible board bendably traveling toward the first surface of the wiring board of the ultrasonic device, the end flexible board being connected to the terminal of the wiring board of the ultrasonic device; and first and second edges opposite to each other along the Y-direction, wherein the first and second edges of the flexible printed wiring board abut the first and second projections, respectively, to arrange the flexible printed wiring board at a predetermined position with respect to the reinforcing member.
 2. The ultrasonic assembly according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing member has third and fourth projections, the third and fourth projections are provided on the first and second ledges of the reinforcing member, respectively, and the third and fourth projections are located closer to the third surface of the support plate than the second surface of the support plate, the first and third projections align on the first ledge of the reinforcing member along the Y-direction, and the second and fourth projections align on the second ledge of the reinforcing member along the Y-direction, and the first and second edges of the flexible printed wiring board abut the first and third projections and the second and fourth projections, respectively, to arrange the flexible printed wiring board at the predetermined position with respect to the reinforcing member.
 3. The ultrasonic assembly according to claim 1, wherein the support plate of the reinforcing member has a third side and a fourth side opposite to each other along the Y-direction, the terminal of the ultrasonic device is configured with a plurality of terminal elements, and the plurality of terminal elements are arranged along the third side and the fourth side of the support plate when the wiring board of the ultrasonic device is disposed on the support plate, the flexible printed board has another end flexible board, the another end flexible board bendably travels toward the first surface of the wiring board of the ultrasonic device, and the another end flexible board is connected to the terminal of the wiring board of the ultrasonic device, an edge part of the another end flexible board is placed between the wiring board and the support plate at a position next to the third side of the support plate of the reinforcing member, and an edge part of the end flexible board is placed between the wiring board and the support plate at a position next to the fourth side of the support plate of the reinforcing member.
 4. The ultrasonic assembly according to claim 1, wherein the flexible printed wiring board has a first slit and a second slit, and the first slit is located next to the first side of the support plate of the reinforcing member and the second slit is located next to the second side of the support plate of the reinforcing member when the flexible printed wiring board is overlapped with the reinforcing member, and each of a width along the X-direction of the first slit and a width along the X-direction of the second slit is larger than each of a width along the X-direction of the first projection and a width along the X-direction of the second projection.
 5. The ultrasonic assembly according to claim 2, wherein the flexible printed wiring board is on a plane along the X-direction and the Y-direction, and the first and second edges of the flexible printed wiring board extend along the X-direction, when the flexible printed wiring board is overlapped with the reinforcing member, the first edge is folded toward a first direction along the Y-direction and the second edge is folded toward a second direction opposite to the first direction along the Y-direction, and when the first and second edges of the flexible printed wiring board are folded, ends of the first and second edges are located between the first and third projections and between the second and fourth projections.
 6. An ultrasonic probe comprising: three directions orthogonal to each other being defined as an X-direction, a Y-direction, and a Z-direction; an ultrasonic assembly, the ultrasonic assembly including: an ultrasonic device, the ultrasonic device having: a substrate in which a plurality of ultrasonic elements are formed, the substrate being rectangular-shaped and having a plane along the X-direction and the Y-direction; a wiring board overlapped with the substrate in the Z-direction, the wiring board being rectangular-shaped and having a plane along the X-direction and the Y-direction; and a terminal disposed on a first surface of the wiring board; a reinforcing member, the reinforcing member being configured with: a support plate having a second surface and a third surface along the X-direction and the Y-direction and outwardly opposite to each other, the support plate being rectangular-shaped and having a first side and a second side opposite to each other along the X-direction; first and second ledges provided at the first and second sides of the support plate, respectively, the wiring board of the ultrasonic device being disposed on the support plate, the first surface of the wiring board facing the second surface of the support plate; and first and second projections provided on the first and second ledges, respectively, the first and second projections being located closer to the third surface of the support plate than the second surface of the support plate; and a flexible printed wiring board disposed to face the third surface of the support plate of the reinforcing member, the flexible printed wiring board being overlapped with the ultrasonic device and the reinforcing member in the Z-direction, the flexible printed wiring board having: an end flexible board bendably traveling toward the first surface of the wiring board of the ultrasonic device, the end flexible board being connected to the terminal of the wiring board of the ultrasonic device; and first and second edges opposite to each other along the Y-direction; and a housing that houses the ultrasonic assembly, wherein the first and second edges of the flexible printed wiring board abut the first and second projections, respectively, to arrange the flexible printed wiring board at a predetermined position with respect to the reinforcing member.
 7. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 6, wherein the reinforcing member has third and fourth projections, the third and fourth projections are provided on the first and second ledges of the reinforcing member, respectively, and the third and fourth projections are located closer to the third surface of the support plate than the second surface of the support plate, the first and third projections align on the first ledge of the reinforcing member along the Y-direction, and the second and fourth projections align on the second ledge of the reinforcing member along the Y-direction, and the first and second edges of the flexible printed wiring board abut the first and third projections and the second and fourth projections, respectively, to arrange the flexible printed wiring board at the predetermined position with respect to the reinforcing member.
 8. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 6, wherein the support plate of the reinforcing member has a third side and a fourth side opposite to each other along the Y-direction, the terminal of the ultrasonic device is configured with a plurality of terminal elements, and the plurality of terminal elements are arranged along the third side and the fourth side of the support plate when the wiring board of the ultrasonic device is disposed on the support plate, the flexible printed board has another end flexible board, the another end flexible board bendably travels toward the first surface of the wiring board of the ultrasonic device, and the another end flexible board is connected to the terminal of the wiring board of the ultrasonic device, an edge part of the another end flexible board is placed between the wiring board and the support plate at a position next to the third side of the support plate of the reinforcing member, and an edge part of the end flexible board is placed between the wiring board and the support plate at a position next to the fourth side of the support plate of the reinforcing member.
 9. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 6, wherein the flexible printed wiring board has a first slit and a second slit, and the first slit is located next to the first side of the support plate of the reinforcing member and the second slit is located next to the second side of the support plate of the reinforcing member when the flexible printed wiring board is overlapped with the reinforcing member, and each of a width along the X-direction of the first slit and a width along the X-direction of the second slit is larger than each of a width along the X-direction of the first projection and a width along the X-direction of the second projection.
 10. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 7, wherein the flexible printed wiring board is on a plane along the X-direction and the Y-direction, and the first and second edges of the flexible printed wiring board extend along the X-direction, when the flexible printed wiring board is overlapped with the reinforcing member, the first edge is folded toward a first direction along the Y-direction and the second edge is folded toward a second direction opposite to the first direction along the Y-direction, and when the first and second edges of the flexible printed wiring board are folded, ends of the first and second edges are located between the first and third projections and between the second and fourth projections.
 11. An ultrasonic apparatus comprising: three directions orthogonal to each other being defined as an X-direction, a Y-direction, and a Z-direction; an ultrasonic assembly, the ultrasonic assembly including: an ultrasonic device, the ultrasonic device having: a substrate in which a plurality of ultrasonic elements are formed, the substrate being rectangular-shaped and having a plane along the X-direction and the Y-direction; a wiring board overlapped with the substrate in the Z-direction, the wiring board being rectangular-shaped and having a plane along the X-direction and the Y-direction; and a terminal disposed on a first surface of the wiring board; a reinforcing member, the reinforcing member being configured with: a support plate having a second surface and a third surface along the X-direction and the Y-direction and outwardly opposite to each other, the support plate being rectangular-shaped and having a first side and a second side opposite to each other along the X-direction; first and second ledges provided at the first and second sides of the support plate, respectively, the wiring board of the ultrasonic device being disposed on the support plate, the first surface of the wiring board facing the second surface of the support plate; and first and second projections provided on the first and second ledges, respectively, the first and second projections being located closer to the third surface of the support plate than the second surface of the support plate; and a flexible printed wiring board disposed to face the third surface of the support plate of the reinforcing member, the flexible printed wiring board being overlapped with the ultrasonic device and the reinforcing member in the Z-direction, the flexible printed wiring board having: an end flexible board bendably traveling toward the first surface of the wiring board of the ultrasonic device, the end flexible board being connected to the terminal of the wiring board of the ultrasonic device; and first and second edges opposite to each other along the Y-direction; a memory configured to store a program; and a processor configured to execute the program so as to control the ultrasonic assembly, wherein the first and second edges of the flexible printed wiring board abut the first and second projections, respectively, to arrange the flexible printed wiring board at a predetermined position with respect to the reinforcing member.
 12. The ultrasonic apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the reinforcing member has third and fourth projections, the third and fourth projections are provided on the first and second ledges of the reinforcing member, respectively, and the third and fourth projections are located closer to the third surface of the support plate than the second surface of the support plate, the first and third projections align on the first ledge of the reinforcing member along the Y-direction, and the second and fourth projections align on the second ledge of the reinforcing member along the Y-direction, and the first and second edges of the flexible printed wiring board abut the first and third projections and the second and fourth projections, respectively, to arrange the flexible printed wiring board at the predetermined position with respect to the reinforcing member.
 13. The ultrasonic apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the support plate of the reinforcing member has a third side and a fourth side opposite to each other along the Y-direction, the terminal of the ultrasonic device is configured with a plurality of terminal elements, and the plurality of terminal elements are arranged along the third side and the fourth side of the support plate when the wiring board of the ultrasonic device is disposed on the support plate, the flexible printed board has another end flexible board, the another end flexible board bendably travels toward the first surface of the wiring board of the ultrasonic device, and the another end flexible board is connected to the terminal of the wiring board of the ultrasonic device, an edge part of the another end flexible board is placed between the wiring board and the support plate at a position next to the third side of the support plate of the reinforcing member, and an edge part of the end flexible board is placed between the wiring board and the support plate at a position next to the fourth side of the support plate of the reinforcing member.
 14. The ultrasonic apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the flexible printed wiring board has a first slit and a second slit, and the first slit is located next to the first side of the support plate of the reinforcing member and the second slit is located next to the second side of the support plate of the reinforcing member when the flexible printed wiring board is overlapped with the reinforcing member, and each of a width along the X-direction of the first slit and a width along the X-direction of the second slit is larger than each of a width along the X-direction of the first projection and a width along the X-direction of the second projection.
 15. The ultrasonic apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the flexible printed wiring board is on a plane along the X-direction and the Y-direction, and the first and second edges of the flexible printed wiring board extend along the X-direction, when the flexible printed wiring board is overlapped with the reinforcing member, the first edge is folded toward a first direction along the Y-direction and the second edge is folded toward a second direction opposite to the first direction along the Y-direction, and when the first and second edges of the flexible printed wiring board are folded, ends of the first and second edges are located between the first and third projections and between the second and fourth projections. 